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India ready for UAE challenge in AFC Asian Under-16 Championship

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The two teams meet in tonight’s tournament opener…

India face UAE tonight in AFC U16 Championship Group A match at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Stadium, Fatorda, Goa. Team India will be banking on the home support to get them off to a winning start against a team who seem much stronger than them, at least on paper.

India u16 coach Nicolai Adam is confident about today’s match and said “We are looking forward to finally start. The team will give their best”

On the other hand UAE will be also looking to start their campaign with a victory. They landed in Goa a week in advance to acclimatize with the weather. “We don’t have any idea about team India but we are prepared for tomorrow’s match and I can say that chance is equal,” mentioned UAE coach Abdelmajeed Alnemer, on a positive note.

Heavyweights Iran and Saudi Arabia complete Group A making this match equally important for both the teams.

Team News

India is forced to withdraw four of their regulars for a strange rule implemented by the AFC - any player born between January 1, 2000 and September 1, 2000 will not be eligible, unless they were registered for last year's AFC Under-16 qualifiers.

Abhijit Sarkar, Tamal Naskar, A Hendry and Joysana Singh have all been ruled out in lieu of this guideline. Reamsochung Aimol had to undergo two surgeries in Germany including one on his broken shin and he will missing AFC U16 Championship alongside above 4 players .

The UAE will have a fullt fit squad at their disposal. The possible starting lineup for UAE will be similar to the squad they fielded in the practice match against FC Bardez u20. Skipper Majed Abdul will lead the team from the front. Ahmed Usuf and Abdul Aziz will take charge of the wings. Ali will be playing the central attacking role. Indian strikers will have a tough time to dribble past tall and healthy defenders.

Match Prediction

The presence of a nearly full-strength squad for the UAE means that they are likely to beat the hosts, but home support, counter-attacking tactics and a little luck could be enough for the Blues to come up with a solitary goal win over the Gulf side.